She Holds the Ace
by SunriseDestined
Summary: It's been 6 months since Kara Robinson was taken from the only man she had ever loved, and whom she thought loved her in return. A Joker/OC story, and the promised sequel to Heart of a Joker. You don't have to have read that one to understand this one, but it's recommended :D. the story is a lot better than the 1 sentence summary, so go ahead and give it a read :D
1. Chapter 1

**Hello, hello, hello! Here's the sequel as promised! I shall not waste time in saying what it's about, for the story shall soon tell! You don't necessarily HAVE to have read Heart of a Joker, but this story may be easier to understand if you did/do. Now anything in **_**italics is a dream or something that happened in the past, or someone's thoughts.**_** Okay so that takes care of that. Any who, without further ado, I present to you my lovely readers: She Holds the Ace :D**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing/no one associated with Batman or the Dark Knight. The only characters I own are Kara, her friends and family (when they are mentioned), a few random goons no one knows the names of, Kyle, and the lovable Rod aka Ryan.**

**Prologue: 6 Months Later**

_"Jack, why are you saying these things? Jack, please, you're hurting me." _

_These were the only things going through Kara's head as the only man who had ever loved her said the vilest things anyone could ever think of. He mocked her because of her love for him. Because of the love she thought he shared for her. It always began this way. And she wouldn't wake up, not until he laughed that blood chilling laugh, and ripped two cards that would be left at her door way. One joker, one queen of hearts, and walked away, seemingly deaf to her pitiful pleas for him to stay. _

Kara sat up straight soaked in her own sweat, a racing heartbeat, gasping for air and with her throat as dry as ash. She had been having the same dream she's been plagued with for about 6 months since she's been living at Wayne Manor. She looked at the clock that read 3:30 am, and was grateful that she didn't have to worry about going to school (Bruce thought that it would be better if Gotham thought that she was still missing). She pushed her hand through her black/maroon hair and took deep breaths.

_It's a dream, _she told herself, _Only a dream._

With a sigh she got up and walked in her bathroom to begin her morning routine. She knew that she wasn't going to go back to sleep, she never did after that dream – nightmare. After brushing her teeth and washing her face she got ready to get in the shower. She thought about everything that had happened ever since she had moved in with the people who had become the family that she had lost with Dick Grayson, Barbra Gordon, Bruce Wayne (duh), and the lovable Alfred Pennyworth. She smiled as she thought of the old man.

He seemed to take on the fathering role of their little family, always making sure that she was eating properly, and that she was getting enough sleep. Bruce, he was like the annoying older brother – always trying to take control of situations where he could, and at times seemed boorish and bull-headed, but when push came to shove, he was always there when his friends needed him. Barbra, she was the glue that held them all together. Whenever one had a problem with the other, it was her who always did her best to diffuse the situation, and made sure that each side was heard before she tried to figure out what could be done to put an end to said situation. Which left Dick. Just, who was he to her?

She got dressed and headed downstairs, following the delicious smell of breakfast emanating from the dining room. Barbra was the first to notice her.

"Good morning Kar." She said as she rearranged a few plates and cups to make room for her new friend.

Kara smiled at the nickname Barbra had given her and sat down to pancakes and hazelnut coffee – her favorite, so Alfred had remembered.

"So what's the game plan for today?" asked Richard as he all but shoveled 4 slices of bacon into his mouth.

Alfred made a small grunt of discuss, and snatched the plate from Richard, placing it back on the table.

"Honestly Master Grayson! Do exercise _some_ form of decency!"

"Yea Richard. Be polite." Everyone looked up at Kara, and Alfred nodded in approval.

But just as he was about to congratulate the young girl on her taste in manners, when a loud belch interrupted his thoughts. He looked up with the most hilarious expression any one at Wayne Manor had seen in a very long time. However, it was quiet at the table, until Barbra started giggling. Slowly it seemed to travel to Richard, then Bruce, and finally even Alfred rolled his eyes good naturedly and graced them with a small smirk. After a few minutes, they finished their breakfast and Bruce had left the table a few minutes early, saying that he had to discuss some project with Lucius Fox. Barbra and Richard had exchanged subtle glances when Bruce had mentioned the man who had designed all their equipment. They had yet to tell Kara of their other identities, and had thought it better not to. It was Barbra who had thought of this.

_"I mean, why not? She doesn't even know where we got her from. And she doesn't know how far she is from the Joker. Why not just tell her?" Richard had asked. _

_Barbra had looked at her friend incredulously. _

"_Dick, think about it! 'oh, well you know Kara, we know that you're probably really confused about life right now. I mean, you've been in a really bad place when it came to your family, you were kidnapped by a crazy man who thinks he's some weird clown prince of crime, and by the way, may I introduce Bruce Wayne? He's a billionaire, but __actually__, he's the Batman! And my friend Barbra here, she's Batgirl. And me? I'm Nightwing!' Seriously Dick, who do you think that's gonna go down? It'll push her off the edge!" _

_Bruce had been watching the entire scene before him in silence. "She's right Dick." _

_When Richard opened his mouth to protest, Bruce had held up his hand, silencing the young man. _

"_It'll overwhelm her. You want to gain her trust, I get it. But we need to take it slow with her. We will tell her, but in the right time. But until that time, all we are to her are Bruce, Barbra, and Dick. Am I clear?" Barbra nodded, but Richard had remained silent, looking away from his two friends. _

_It was the shadow of his mentor that caused him to look up and find himself face to face with him. _

"_Am. I, clear?" Bruce asked slowly, making sure the young man before him understood that this order was to be obeyed and not questioned. _

"_Yea", he said finally. "Yea, I get it." _

**A/N: okay, so I know that this is really short, but this is sort of a prologue, I don't know what happened, but I couldn't get it to upload yesterday. But here it is! Yay! Lol. Well, tell me what you think, and if you wish to give me a follow on Twitter Reecie_John, for sneak peeks, and other stuff! K! Bye!**

**~ SunriseDestined**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I loved all the favs and follows from you guys! You guys are absolutely awesome! So I've been trying to figure out a way to write the Joker's part in this, and how to deal with his psychological state since his lady love has been gone for half a year. But, I did my best. Forgive me if he seems a bit OC, but…what can ya do right? Lol any who, enjoy! Don't forget to read and review please!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any thing or any one (pertaining to the characters) of the Dark Knight. Except for Kara, her friends and family ( when they're mentioned), Rod, and Kyle, and few random goons. **

**Chapter 1: Purple **

Kara looked at the color of her nail polish as her nails dried. There was something about the sparkly purple that seemed to give her a sense of comfort.

_Liar. It reminds you of him. Just about everything nowadays reminds you of him. How desperate can you possibly be? He made his feelings clear. It's been six months for crying out loud! Get over him! You can be sure that he's done gotten over you. _She sighed as she waited for her nails to dry.

A knock on her door brought her attention back to the present.

"It's open!" she called. She smiled as Richard walked through the door.

"Hey. Mind if I come in?" he asked leaning against the door frame.

"No, c'mon in." she said as she scooted over on her bed, a nonverbal cue for him to come sit by her.

After he was comfortably situated, he put his arm around Kara's shoulders and she leaned into him, careful not to get her nails on him as the polish hadn't dried just yet. Richard cocked his head as he looked at his friend's nails. Sparkly purple.

"That's an interesting color." He said somewhat smugly as he took her hand in his own.

Kara looked at him warily, quickly changing her expression before he had a chance to look at her fully.

"Yea, Barbra lent it to me. She said it would", she took on a flamboyant air, "and I quote 'accent my alabaster tone perfectly'."

This earned a scoff from Richard. No matter how tough Barbra was when she was training with him, or when she was out in the field as Batgirl, it was moments like these that reminded him that underneath all the strength and muscle, at the end of the day, Barbra was indeed, a young woman.

"Well she was right. A little dark though, don't you think?"

Kara looked at her nails, testing them to see if they were fully dry. Yes, she had to admit that the color was darker than what she normally wore, but she liked it. It was the last connection that she had had to him.

"Yea. But I think that that's the thing that adds beauty to it, you know?" she moved her fingers so the sparkles stood out in the light.

Richard looked at the young woman next to him. He wanted so badly to tell her who he was, who she was surrounded by. To take her in his arms and tell her that she was safe, that she didn't have to be afraid or feel that she needed to be connected to that lunatic any more. But Bruce had made it perfectly clear that he wasn't to tell her anything until they all saw that she was ready, but emotionally and mentally. That's the reason why she had decided to stick with dark purple. Wasn't it?

"Hey. Why don't you come out to the mall with Barbra and me? She said that she needed to go shopping for clothes, and if you care about me at all you won't make me go with her alone." He said with a pleading look in his eyes.

Kara couldn't help but smile. She did remember one time when she went shopping with Dick and Barbra. Barbra had lived up to her reputations and Kara knew that she couldn't really throw Dick to the wolves - or Barbra – with a clear conscience.

"Sure. I just have to change." Dick continued to look at her, and Kara inclined her head towards the door.

"That means shoo Dick!" she said making a sweeping motion with her hands.

Dick smiled and gave Kara a squeeze on the shoulder and got up. But just before he was about to leave the room completely, he turned and looked at the young girl.

"Hey." Kara looked up at him.

"You know if you need to talk – about anything – I'm here right?" Kara looked at him with a startled expression, but hid it almost immediately.

"Yea. I know. See you downstairs." Before he could say anything, Kara had gently closed the door on him.

Kara closed the door and slid down until she was on the on the floor, fists pressed tightly to her eyes, and tried to bring her breathing down to an inaudible level. She couldn't talk to Dick, or anyone else about what she deeply needed to. She knew that. Why couldn't she just move on? Why couldn't she just forget that she had ever been taken from her prom on that long ago night, and pretended that she had just ended up here with people who actually cared about her by some kind twist of fate?

_You need to stop this. _She took a deep breath and got up, dusting herself off. She had an outing with her friends, and she didn't need to keep them waiting.

**(At the same time, somewhere in The Narrows of Gotham)**

Rod walked through the entrance of the new warehouse, taking extra care to not make too much noise as he walked through the common area. In fact, all the guys have been taking extra care to keep noise down to an absolute minimum. Even the TV that was usually blaring crude things and worse images was even muted with subtitles on. A lot had changed a lot since Kara had been taken away from them. She brought an air of fun to the place. Even the boss seemed a bit more – dare he say it – sane, when she was here. Now, the slightest thing could tick him off and send him on a wild killing spree. Last week, he had slaughtered (quite literally) one of the guys who had had a little too much to drink and was louder than he would have liked.

Even the guys who would make fun of the Clown Prince behind his back, ceased their merciless teasing in fear of him over hearing, and the consequences that they would be sure to face. Rod continued walking through the common area, and was about to pass the coffee table, and was about to fall – causing an undoubtedly loud noise – when he was caught by the collar of his shirt. When he was set back up right and released he looked over and saw Kyle. The man had become the big brother that Rod never had. No one messed with him now, but if they did, they would now have Kyle to deal with. And where Rod was small and wimpy (it had to be said), Kyle was tall, and well built. Afraid to voice his thanks, Rod smirked and Kyle nodded.

The two friends went to the kitchen to find something to munch on, only to find two bottles of beer (not that Rod could enjoy it, he didn't drink), and an expired wheel of cheese. Kyle rolled his eyes and closed the fridge with a sigh.

"I'll go get something." He said roughly.

Kyle hated going grocery shopping. He was no shorty at 6"9', and no one let him forget it. His wasn't a face one would forget either, his bright green eyes and adorably scruffy brunette hair made sure of that. He normally wouldn't have minded the attention, but he was working for the Joker for God's sake! Recognition was NOT his friend.

"Nah, I gotta go get some stuff for the boss anyway. I'll go."

It wasn't a lie either, he had to get at least _some _food for the boss. As much as he wasn't sure it was smart to admit, he was worried about the Clown Prince. He hadn't eaten properly in months, and he only pecked at obscenely small amounts of food, if only to keep himself alive. He had gone into the boss' room only once, and he had been sleeping on his old creaky cot, with a bunch of papers with some writing on them scattered across his desk and couldn't suppress the chill that travelled down his spine when he read them. He took them out of there, his boss didn't have to keep those around. Rod had doubted that he would notice them missing in the state he was in.

"You sure? You've been out all day." Kyle interrupted his thoughts.

"Yes ma, I'm fine."

That earned Rod a slap upside the head.

"Get outta here." Kyle muttered good naturedly.

Rod got off the bus after thanking the driver and looked at the mall across the street from the grocery store. Now that the boss spent most of his time locked up in his room, he didn't have to go right back home this instant. Who knows? A trip to the mall just might do him some good.

**(At the Mall)**

Kara and Dick groaned and flopped down on the bench outside what had to be the billionth store they visited. Barbra had given them the cruel false hope that they were ready to go, until she noticed a favorite store of hers that she 'hadn't been to forever'.

"Barbs, please, can we _please_ just go home? I am BEGGING YOU!" exclaimed Kara as she leaned on Dick's shoulder.

Richard smirked and put his arm around his friend. "Just be happy we're not at the Mega Plex mall."

This caught Barbra's attention. "Oooo! That's such a good idea! Do you guys wanna go –"

"NO!" came the unison response.

Barbra stuck her tongue out defiantly. "Well, I'll be back, Kara, are you sure you're not coming in with me? I'm sure we can find you some really cute stuff."

Kara nodded.

"Suit yourself." She smiled as she headed in.

Kara looked over at Richard who was rubbing his hand over his eyes.

"Hey, I'm gonna go and get some coffee. Wanna come with?" she asked as she got up and stretched.

Richard looked after Barbra's retreating form. "No thanks. I'll stay here so that she remembers that there are people here. You know. People who REALLY WANNA LEAVE!"

The last part of his sentence earned him a nasty look, and smug smile as Barbra grabbed the nearest armful of clothes she could find.

"Excuse me, can I try these on please?" she asked the store employee with a charming smile.

Richard rolled his eyes and held his arm out towards their friend. "Take your time. We're of the mercy of Ms. Gordon anyways."

Kara smiled and headed off towards the small café in the food court.

Rod sat in a small hole in the wall café in the mall's food court, sipping a java. It was nice to come here and unwind, even though he was by himself. Here, in the mall, with his favorite drink, no pressure to watch out for anyone, no boss to keep knocking you over making impossible demands, Kara walking towards him. Wait, WHAT?! He almost did one of those spit takes he's seen on those old sitcoms, when he saw a young girl walking towards the café. He took in everything about her in the seconds it took her to get in line and look at the menu to see which coffee she was going to get. Her formally maroon hair was half way back to black now. She had cut it so that it reached below her chest. And he recognized those ice blue eyes anywhere. Now all he had to do was keep himself calm, and just talk to her. She looked happy, where had she been all this time?

Kara walked up to the barista. "Hey sweetie! What can I get you?" she looked to be in her late 40's or early 50's.

"Umm, I'll take a Colombian blend with three shots of peach please." She said as she saw her favorite flavor.

The lady at the register rang up her order. "Hmm, like it strong do ya?" she asked with a slight southern drawl.

Kara smiled. "Yea it is." She paid for her coffee and looked for a nice place to sit.

The only available spot seemed to be at a table with a man who was hunched over his own drink, with a crutch beside his chair.

"Excuse me sir, do you mind if I sit here?" she asked timidly.

"No, I'd actually much rather you did." Kara gasped as the man looked up at her.

"Oh my God! Ryan?" she exclaimed as he smiled, and she bent down to give him a tight hug, since he couldn't get out of his chair fast enough.

"It's been awhile Kara. How've you been? _Where've _you been?" he asked after she pulled out the chair across from him and sat down.

"I've – I've been good. I've been staying with some friends." She said uneasily, sipping at her drink.

The two old friends sat in an awkward silence as Rod looked up at her sheepishly.

"You've cut your hair." He said nonchalantly.

Kara self-consciously combed through her hair with her fingers. "Yea, it was beginning to get annoying, and the ends were splitting, so my friend, she said that I should cut it, but I wasn't sure –"

Rod reached across the table and took hold of his friend's hand. "It looks nice." He said with a smile.

Kara smiled back, but it went away as quickly as it came when she remembered who it was that Rod worked for. She had been wondering for so long, now was her chance to ask.

"Ryan, how – how is…he?" she couldn't even bring himself to say his name. Had it come to that?

Ryan looked away, not knowing how he should answer. She didn't even say the Joker's name. But she asked, so he had to tell her.

"He misses you." he said simply. He looked up at the sound of Kara's short laughter.

"Yea, I'll bet." She said, sipping her peach flavored coffee.

"Kara, I'm serious. If you could see him now –"

"If I saw him now, he'd probably laugh in my face, the same way he did 6 months ago. I don't care how he's doing. Forget I even asked."

"What're you talking about, laugh in your face? He hasn't eaten a proper meal since you left! Have you noticed how peaceful it's been lately?" he was met with a blank stare from Kara. He rolled his eyes. "Well, as peaceful as the Narrows can possibly be anyways. Kara, I'm serious, the man's a wreck."

Kara didn't seem convinced at all. "I know what I heard, and what I saw Ryan. You weren't there. You didn't hear the things he said to me. He ripped my heart out. I gave him everything I possibly had, and he used me, and threw me away, as if I were nothing but garbage on the street! But how can I expect you understand? You didn't _see_ the way he looked at me. The way he treated me."

Rod observed the girl in front of him. She was right. He had absolutely _no _idea what she was talking about. When the Joker had found out that she had been taken, he had been out the entire night, looking for her. When he couldn't find her, he had been raving mad, cutting, throwing, and cursing everything that was in his way.

"Kara, he needs you. And whether or not you wanna admit it, you need him too. You two, you've got something special…creepy – no offense – but special. You bring out a side of him that makes him seem almost…sane. And you're right. I didn't see what he did to you. I don't know what he did to you. But this is what I _see_, and I _know_ that this has to mean something."

With that he took out the papers that he had stuffed in his coat pocket. "Here, take a look at these and see if I'm not telling the truth."

Kara didn't take them. Rod sighed and put them on the table in front of her.

"Just – just take a look at them before you make your absolutely final decision. Okay?"

Kara sighed, ran a hand through her hair, and nodded, relenting. She trusted Rod. And this was the least she could do for him.

"Thanks. Well, it's been great Kara, but I've gotta go. Take care of yourself, okay?" he said as he got up to go.

Kara smiled sadly. "You too."

Rod squeezed her hand, and he was about to leave, but not before he got a good look at her nails.

"That color suits you."

**A/N: okay, so I know that it's really confusing, but I promise that chapter 2 will bring at least some of this stuff to light. I'm making this here sequel deal with a lot of psychological aspects that come with relationships, and the past experiences of our favorite main characters (Kara, and the Joker/Jack of course). Well, leave me a review and tell me what you think! Kk! Bye! **

**~ SunriseDestined**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hhheeeyyy! I am SO sorry for the delay! Life kept getting in my way, and I couldn't update, but on the upside, I'm doing so now! Thanks to all of you who have already followed and reviewed for this story, ya'll have no idea how much it means to me. but enough of this sentimental mush, on with the story! **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing and no one in regards to The Dark Knight except Kara, Rod, Kyle, and a few other random goon people **

**Chapter 2: Coffee and Really Big Knives**

**(Somewhere in the Narrows)**

Rod walked into the warehouse with the food he had told Kyle he was getting. It took a bit longer than expected what with the sudden trip to the mall where he saw Kara. Kara, the girl who managed to be the only person – ever – to be the single cause for the startling cease in the Clown Prince of Gotham's violence ridden rampages. Clearly there was something special about the girl. Obviously, since she was the only one who was able to keep the peace around the place by just gracing the people here with her presence. Kyle looked up when he heard the door close, but relaxed a bit, and placed his gun that he held hidden behind a newspaper.

"Good way to get yourself shot kid." He said gruffly.

Rod rolled his eyes good naturedly, placed the groceries on the table, and with a tired sigh flung himself down on the couch across from where his friend was sitting.

"Uh oh." Muttered Kyle as he set the newspaper aside and looked at his younger friend.

"Uh oh's right." Rod said as he rubbed his eyes tiredly.

A few minutes passed before Kyle rested his chin in his hands in an exaggerated manner. Rod just sat there, in the same position.

"Dang it boy, are you gonna tell me what's going on, or are you just gonna sit there like some hormone raged teenaged girl?!" Kyle finally asked.

Rod looked up at the ceiling before looking back at his friend. He sighed one more time before he finally decided that it was safe to tell Kyle.

"I saw someone today."

Kyle gasped. "You're telling me that you saw a," he looked around dramatically "a human being at the grocery store?"

"Kyle this is serious! I – I saw her."

Kyle's eyes widened ever so slightly at the mention of 'her'. They only referred to Kara that way. But he had to be sure. He leaned forward ever so slightly so that he could speak in a barely audible voice. No one really knew if there were treacherous ears listening.

"Kid, are you telling me you saw Kara?"

Rod bit his lip as he nodded. Kyle took a deep breath and ran his hand back through his hair. He, Ryan, and everyone else who worked with them knew the toll Kara's absence had taken on their boss. They couldn't even mention her name in actual fear that he may lash out at them. And with someone as unpredictable as the Joker, it was best to just play it safe. In fact, the only one among them who could even convince the Clown Prince to even so much as look at food was Ryan. This was probably only because he was with him the longest, and that the Joker was just used to having someone around who actually cared for his wellbeing.

"Are you gonna tell the boss about this?" Kyle asked as he clasped his hands behind his head.

Ryan looked at his friend sharply. "Have you lost your mind?" he demanded in a quiet voice.

Kyle chuckled darkly. "Okay, okay, I was just asking. Probably best the two of them just stay apart anyways."

Ryan wasn't so sure that was true.

**(Meanwhile, at Wayne Manor)**

Kara lay on her bed, looking up at the ceiling. She was thinking about the conversation she had had with Rod – Ryan – she mentally corrected herself. Dare she believe that the Joker was thinking about her? After all she had heard him say the first night she spent at Wayne manor, she had heard all he had to say when she was suddenly very tired. The events of that day were still very unclear as to what actually happened. But she did really see Jack, didn't she? He was right there, she remembered it as if it were yesterday and not a few months ago, right there by the window. And she was on the floor, begging like a beaten dog, for him to stay with her. She hadn't told anyone about her having seen her friend from the Narrows, afraid that it might have meant that they would lock her away and throw away the key.

"_You know you're being stupid. Just what did they ever do to you to make you think that they'd just lock you away like some mental patient?" _she thought to herself as she rubbed her face tiredly.

Who knows, maybe she was one.

A knock at the door brought her out of her reverie. "Kara? It's me, are you okay?"

Kara lifted her head from her pillow. Barbra was at her door again. Every day, if she wasn't down for supper at about 6:30 on the dot, Barbra would be sent up from the dining room to go check on her. The poor mad girl from the Narrows. That's what they all thought of her. Sure Bruce had said something about Stockholm Syndrome and what not, that she didn't really wanna stay there with the Joker, but had nowhere else to go, so there she stayed, and learned to adapt to the situation. Or so he said. But she had heard Dick a few nights ago. She had heard what they really thought about her.

_Kara had been on her way down to dinner, when she heard Bruce, Barbra, and Dick talking quietly at the table, waiting for her. _

"_She's not crazy Dick, where would you have liked her to go? Or do? You know the Joker, you know how wacked up he is. What else was she supposed to do except learn to adapt?"_

"_Barbs, you __heard__ her! She wants to go back to him! To __**him**__! I'm saying that maybe we should just keep her here for awhile – just to check her out and make sure that everything's okay! Not that we should send her to Arkham or something!" _

_Barbra had looked incredulous. Bruce, stoic as he listened to the young man and woman who had been forced to grow up too fast, and attain knowledge far beyond their years. And was listening carefully to the counsel from the two who had become both his family and protégés. _

"_Well of course she wants to go back to him Dick, he's the only man who'd ever treated her right – her version of right anyway - , she doesn't know better! But she can if she learns that there are better people out there for her in the world! People who are willing to help her, not take advantage of her, who, want to be her friend, embrace her for who she is, to lift her up, not beat her down!" _

"_I get that. I really do." Dick had said as he pushed a hand through his hair. "But Barbra, she's really unstable right now. The slightest mishap can push her off the edge. And I really don't think that we should take that chance, especially because of the mental state she's in right now!" _

_Bruce looked up and had realized that Kara was at the entrance of the dining room. A simple clearing of his throat was enough to silence the two younger people, as they quickly changed the subject to where the best shopping places were. _

Kara rubbed her eyes and looked at the door annoyed that Barbra was still there waiting for her.

"Yea Barbs, I'm fine. I'll be down in a few minutes." She called as she literally pulled herself off her bed and pulled on a hoodie and sweat pants over the cami and boy shorts she usually had on when she was in her room by herself.

She wasn't hungry, everyone could see that as she pushed around her macaroni and cheese with her fork, taking no particular interest in wolfing it down as she usually did. Even Alfred gave her concerned looks as he made sure each member of the house was eating as they should. Richard looked up from his plate and saw Kara pushing around her favorite food.

"You really need to eat Care Bear." He said, using his nick name for her.

"Just not hungry that's all. You know actually, I'm gonna turn in." Kara said as she looked over at Bruce for silent permission to leave the table.

Bruce looked at the young girl and nodded. Barbra was about to say something, but he discreetly held up his hand, silencing her. His hand stayed up until they heard Kara's door close upstairs, before he put it down, and instructed Alfred to pack up her food for her to eat later. He didn't know what was going on with Kara. He knew that he shouldn't crowd and coddle her, that she needed her space. He needed to gain her trust. To let her know that she could trust him enough to tell him whatever she needed to, whenever she needed to. To assure her that she had a friend who would look out for her, he left a cup of coffee on the table for her. He knew that macaroni cheese was only her second love. The one thing she loved most in the world was her coffee. He decided that though he wouldn't smother her with questions as to her health or feelings like some hovering parent, he would be sure to keep an eye on her – just to be on the safe side.

**(Somewhere in the Narrows…cuz I gotta switch it up to keep it interesting)**

Rod walked up the creaky steel stairs to the only room at the top, with the door that usually none except his boss comes out of alive. The Joker hasn't even so much as looked at a bomb, let alone plant one anywhere in Gotham. Not that he'd have the mental capacity to do so even if he tried. He hadn't eaten much since Kara left – at least he didn't think he did – Rod was almost certain that he would hear it if someone was coming down stairs as squeaky as the ones he was climbing. He was about to knock on the door when all of a sudden, an arm shot out, grabbed him by the front of his shirt, and pulled him inside.

"Gah! Boss, what're you do-" his response was cut short when the door slammed and he found a knife at the base of his throat.

One wrong move on his part, would leave him bleeding, and rolling back down the stairs into the common area. He'd seen enough during his time with the Clown Prince to know that. So he just swallowed as much as the pressure of the blade would allow, and licked his lips.

"Boss –" he began.

He was greeted with laughter so maniac, so cracked, so – incredibly insane – that it scared even him. And he has been with the Joker for a very long time.

"Ah, Rod. Rod Rod RodRodRod. You should'a seen your face! You, you looked so pretty with your eyes all big like that!" he said pinching and twisting his cheek in a most painful manner.

Rod dared a small, unsure smile at the Clown Prince. He was quite uncomfortable being in the room by himself with him. And to make things worse, he thought that he smelled alcohol on his breath.

"_How'd he even get his hands on that?!" _he thought to himself.

"I didn't pull you in here to look at your pretty face Roddy boy." The Joker said as he licked the inside of his scars (one of his many trademarks you see). " I need something from you."

Rod looked at the Joker, very nervous about what he would be asked to do. After all, the man hadn't come out of the small room that he and Kara shared when she was there, and he hadn't really come out…at all. But still, as the loyal young man he was, he looked at the boss, and said bravely:

"Sure boss, what do you need?"

The Joker smiled excitedly, jumped up and squeaked like a little girl on Christmas. "I need some knives Rod. Some really big ones."

**And there ya go! I know that this is a little short, and boring. But I promise that this is just so that it will give room for the next one! I'm going to try to do an update every week, but no promises. I'll be doing little things on Twitter about this, so make sure you follow me at Reecie_John and use the hash tag CoffeeandKnives so that I'll know what it's about! Or if you're bored and just want something/someone to laugh at (cuz I'm really good at being really un smart at times hahaha) that's a good reason to follow me too! and and and review please! It really makes my day. Thanks! **

**~ EveningGlory**


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